


Once Upon A December

by AceSpacee



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Anastasia Fusion, Galra! Keith, M/M, alien keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-07-22 07:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7425739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceSpacee/pseuds/AceSpacee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten years ago, the royal family was completely wiped out, save Duke Thace who barely escaped. But now there's a rumor floating around: Prince Keith Kogane survived that fateful night of bloodshed and misery. Of course, his father is offering a grand reward for whoever can find his son, so of course conmen Lance and Hunk are more than happy to reunite the two. Only, they need a convincing actor first. Enter one orphaned Keith "no last name" who wants to go to the stars to find his family and happens to bear a striking resemblance to the missing prince.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Things My Heart Used to Know

There was a grand celebration that night in the palace, in honor of Duke Thace departing Earth the next morning. The Duke watched fondly as his wife danced with their youngest son, Keith. The two appeared to be having a great deal of fun, making silly faces at one another and dancing in an informal fashion that many would see as inappropriate for the royal family. But the two were so blissfully content that no one even thought to gossip. And Thace wasn’t the only one observing the duo; a young kitchen servant had snuck away from his position with a pilfered apple in hand, intent on watching the youngest royal. The two had never interacted, but to see a child his age so close in the palace was an anomaly and one that the young servant wanted to observe for as long as he could. Taking a bite of his stolen prize, he continued to watch the child prince.  After the dance had finished, Thace called his son over. As soon as he heard his father’s voice, he gave a quick kiss to his mother and ran past his older siblings, stopping only to retrieve a drawing from his chair.

“Papa!” The boy cried as he flung himself at his father, Thace catching him easily and embracing his son tightly. Though Keith was the youngest, it was a tightly kept secret that he was Thace’s favorite.

“Hello there, is there something you have in your hand for me?” Thace kept his tone carefully innocent, knowing his son’s reactions too well.

Keith laughed and playfully shoved his father, “Of course, who else would I give it to, Hei?” His face scrunched up as he said his older sister’s name, most likely recalling one of her many teasing sessions.

Thace laughed as he sets Keith down, making an exaggerated groan of pain as he does so, “I see your point. So, what is it then? Don’t keep me in suspense now!”

Keith giggled again at his father’s theatrics before handing over his drawing, a fairly well done piece of a boy that strongly resembled Keith, in the conflicting Galran and human traits aspect.

“See, he’s like me!” Keith said leaning forward to point at the drawing’s face.

Thace smiled at Keith, “He does, you did a great job! And I’ve got a gift for you too, since I won’t be around for your birthday.”

Keith gasped in excitement and clapped his hands together, “What is it, papa? What is it?”

The young servant craned his head forward from his hiding spot, curiosity driving him to find out what the prince was about to receive. However, his luck had run out and his hiding spot had been discovered.

“Lance!” A piercing voice cried, making the boy wince as he caught sight of a stern looking man making his way towards him.

“Your place is in the kitchen, boy!” the man said as he grabbed ahold of Lance’s ear and began dragging him back.

“Lemme go!” Lance protested as he fought to stay for a minute longer, but to no avail. Somehow, neither of the royals heard nor saw their rambunctious eavesdropper being lead away.

Thace handed over a wrapped item, poorly bound to the point that it’s obvious to almost everyone what it was. But Keith didn’t notice, choosing to tear the wrappings with the eagerness of the child he was. When he finished revealing his gift, he gasped in surprise. He’d received a beautiful dagger, one very similar to the one he’d seen his father use, but it’s not the only gift he had received. Thace nudged Keith and inclined his head towards the hilt of the knife to draw his attention to the second part of his gift. It’s a pendant, Keith noted with slight disappointment as he pulled it off the knife.

Thace laughed at his son’s pout before saying, “Read what it says.”

Keith’s face scrunched up as he struggled to read the small text, “Together…in the stars?! Oh papa, do you mean it?”

Thace smiled, “Of course, someone has to teach you to use that knife after all. Consider it an early birthday gift.”

Keith still looked shocked, “Mama said it was okay?”

“I wouldn’t dream of doing anything without her seal of approval.” He said with a wink.

Keith grins before embracing his father, which Thace eagerly returns. However, their happiness is not to last. At the sounds of gasps and shattering glass the two separate in confusion. Thace catches sight of the figure that caused the fear amongst the crowd and immediately moves to hide Keith behind his throne before he confronts the figure. Though Keith’s eyes were filled with fear, Thace did his best to look calm and collected as he smiles at Keith. He gave his son a quick hair ruffle before going to confront the figure.

He was a menacing figure covered in armor and scars. The guests were shaking in fear as he stalked forward; crushing a wine glass that one guest must have dropped effortlessly. Slightly behind him was an equally tall and intimidating figure, with an arm that gave off an eerie glow. The second figure kept his head down in a subservient manner, making sure that there were no mistakes made in who was in charge. Unfortunately, these two figures were very familiar to Thace.

“Zarkon!” He called out, ignoring the gasps at his confirmation of that monster’s identity, “Why have you come here tonight? You are not welcome here!”

Zarkon turned to look at Thace, the one being in the ballroom who was standing firm against him, “I am simply here to extend my congratulations to a soldier of the Galra Empire, you’ve done well for yourself.”

“A former soldier, your _Highness_ , thank you. I haven’t been associated with the Galra Empire for several years so I would be very grateful if you would leave.” Thace’s tone is colder than ice and only barely passed for polite; evidently Zarkon took note of it.

“I would be careful if I were you, _Commander_.  The Galra Empire does not look kindly upon traitors.”

Thace felt his temper give out, “Enough of this farce! I demand you leave the palace at once!”

Zarkon sneered and turned to leave, but not before uttering the words that struck an icy feeling of fear in Thace’s heart, “Very well, but know this: I will personally see to it that you, your wife, and all of your children” here his eyes land to where Keith is hiding as if he _knows_ and Thace feels his mouth go dry, “will be dead within a fortnight.”

With that, he and his minion were gone and the ballroom seemed infinitely lighter in terms of lighting, though the atmosphere was still suffocatingly tense. Thace shared a worried look with his wife, the two of them fearing not for their lives, but for the lives of their children. In the coming days, the palace was barred from entry and guards were posted at every door and window. No one was allowed entry or exit, and Thace paced constantly in his room when he wasn’t discussing plans with the queen, knowing Zarkon was not going to let his family rest after having made a promise like that.

* * *

 

And he was right. Zarkon had made a deal with the Witch Haggar; trading his soul for the power to destroy the family beyond repair. With his new power, he was able to spread feelings of ill will towards the royal family to the common people, which caused them to begin damaging property around the palace gates and start riots outside, as they screamed for an uprising. The next thing that happened was an act against the guards themselves, half of the guards fell dead on the spot, the remaining half began storming the castle from the inside and cutting down those who shake off Zarkon’s influence. Not too long after this happened, the commoners outside managed to break in, cutting off the family on almost all possible exits.

As soon as the screams within the palace started, Thace and his wife began evacuating themselves and their children. The nearest ship owned by their family was not nearby, by any means, but surviving the night mattered more than getting off planet immediately.

“Hurry children!” The queen yelled from towards the front of the line with the eldest children.

All of a sudden, Keith stopped running and turned back with an expression of horror, “My dagger!” he cried out in panic as he rushed back to his room.

“Keith, no, come back! Get back here!” Thace yelled in fear, not wanting his son to lose his life over a gift. With a quick look to his quickly disappearing wife and other children, he chases after Keith.

Keith’s rooms had toys strewn about it, as if he had been in the middle of playing with them as the attack started. But the dagger wasn’t on the ground with his toys; it was on his nightstand right by his bed so he could fall asleep looking at it. As he grabbed it, his father ran in his room and closed the door behind him in a panic. He grabbed Keith tightly and prepared to leave with him. All of a sudden, the two heard a series of gunshots and a terrible scream that was suddenly cut short. Thace let his face morph into an expression of horror and grief for a second as soon as he knew what those sounds meant before he tried to think of any remaining exits for the two of them to take. There were none, they were trapped. As a last resort, he tried to lead Keith over to the windows, only to be grabbed by a young servant.

“Hurry, this way! Come out through the servant quarters!” The boy pleaded as he tried to drag the pair.

Thace immediately noticed the open panel in the wall that the boy must have come in through and made his way towards it, Keith’s hand firmly in his grasp. As the two were ducking into the narrow passage, the dagger fell from Keith’s other hand and onto the floor. His head popped out briefly as he made a desperate grab for it.

“Please, my dagger!” He cried, not wanting to lose the object he’d gone through so much to retrieve

“Just go, go!” The boy yelled pushing him through and closing the door.

Not a minute after he shut the door, Lance heard footsteps approaching rapidly. The owners of the footsteps, several guards and commoners, broke down the door with seemingly no effort and barked out, “Where are they, boy?”

He threw the nearest object at them, a rather garish vase and it hit one of them in the face, causing the soldier to go down. After watching their comrade fall, another guard smacked the child with a rifle butt to the face, causing him to fall unconscious, right next to the prince’s dagger.

* * *

 

Now outside the palace, father and son run for their lives in the deep snow, their bright skin and clothes making them easy targets for anyone who would happen to catch sight of them.

“Papa!” Keith cried, feeling his legs start to stumble as they continued running.

“Keep up with me, Keith! We’re almost there!” His father yelled back, needing Keith to keep pace for just a bit longer.  Once they got out of immediate view of the palace, they could begin to slow down slightly but not now.

As they were finishing passing under a bridge, a figure jumped out from the top and grabbed ahold of Keith’s ankle, dragging him to the ground with a shriek.

“Zarkon!” Thace yelled, startled by his sudden appearance.

“Lemme go, please!” Keith begged, as he tried desperately to kick off Zarkon’s hand and stand up again.

Zarkon’s grip refused to waver even as Thace grabbed ahold of Keith and began trying to tug him away. After a brief struggle, Zarkon reached for his Bayard by his side, eliciting another shriek of fear from Keith.  He kicked out with his other foot with as much strength as he could, sending Zarkon back a few inches. This kick sent Zarkon onto a patch of thin ice where his combined armor and natural weight caused it to quickly start cracking. Within seconds Zarkon was going under the water, his armor making it impossible for him to try to stay afloat. From where he was in the snow, frantically tracking the prince and his father, Sendak caught sight of his master drowning swiftly and could do nothing but yell as he ran even faster in a vain attempt to catch up to him in time to save him.  Noting that Sendak was swiftly approaching, the pair continue running once more, leaving Zarkon’s Bayard and the cracked ice where he fell in behind.

* * *

 

Though it took them longer then Thace would have liked, with several close calls, they managed to get literal last second passage on a train that would take them to a city with a ship they could take off planet. The train was already starting to slowly move by the time the two made their way over to the back so Thace quickly jumped aboard. Unfortunately this jump disconnected the pair’s joined hands as Keith was sent temporarily stumbling back, the distance between the train and him beginning to grow greater. He ran for his father’s outstretched hand and managed to grab ahold of it, though the train was moving so fast he didn’t know how long he can hold onto it.

“Don’t let go!” He yelled out in fear, tears starting to fall as the cold winter air slapped his face and as he started to realize what would happen.

Thace held on as tight as he can to his son’s hand, but the combined speed of the train and the boy’s own exhaustion sent him tumbling to the ground with a horrific scream in a matter of seconds.

“Keith!” He cried out, searching the crowd frantically for any sign of his son, waiting to see him get up but seeing nothing. He braced himself to jump off the train but was quickly restrained by several other passengers. Gripping the bars of the train tightly, Thace finally allowed himself to cry for all he had lost that night. All of his family was gone, and if Keith was not dead from the fall, the odds of finding him again were so low it was better to think him dead.

From where he was lying on the ground, Keith weakly twitched as people walked around him, none caring enough to help the young child but none cruel enough to walk over his still breathing body.


	2. The Biggest Con in History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet our two conmen, who are getting way in over their heads, and they plan like preteens at a slumber party.

Ten years after the overthrowing of the royal family, the capital city was significantly bleaker in the minds of almost all who visited. The once bright and bustling family run shops had been run out by large factories that churned out smoke and the occasional shipment of goods; many people had trouble breathing at the best of times. Though the people were starving and freezing, they at least had gossip to help them get through their day. This latest rumor involves the youngest member of the royal family, and it's one of the most fascinating mysteries the people have heard. Of all of the bodies of the royal family that were collected that fateful night, two had been missing. One was accounted for, Duke Thace was sighted off planet two days after the massacre and so it was assumed that he had left Earth when he was scheduled to. But the one that wasn’t was what made the situation peculiar. Eight year old Prince Keith Kogane’s body had not been with the rest of his family’s, he had not even tried to flee away from them when the guards arrived as two of his sisters had mistakenly attempted. His body had simply never been found, a fact which no one had thought about until an elderly man claimed that the prince was still alive. Though his claims were initially dismissed, the more people thought of it the more likely it seemed. Duke Thace having immediately offered a reward to anyone who could bring him his son when false sightings of the prince began to crop up finally cemented the claim as truth in the minds of the people, and they began gossiping about the missing prince and his family to no end.

Though Hunk knew the only worthwhile bits of gossip tossed around already, he kept an ear open as he made his way through the street. As he payed a woman for an apple, a late morning snack, he heard a man selling newspapers announcing the same gossip they all knew. He didn’t want to pay for more than he had to, but it was interesting to see official newspapers acknowledging gossip; perhaps these rumors had more value in them then even he and Lance put in them. He continued to make his way across the streets, making sure that he always dodged the occasional hand that strayed for his wallet. Reaching the door that was his temporary destination, he stopped to knock three times and whisper the phrase that would let him have access to the market where his partner was. Once allowed in the dingy, and _slightly_ illegal, market, he made his way towards the stairs where Lance said they would be meeting. He started to head down a passage before he heard a sharp whistle.

“Hunk, over here man!”

“Lance!” Hunk yelled/whispered back as he ran to embrace his friend. Lance hugged him back and smacked him gently on the back of the head before he’s set down and the two are delving further into the market, this time visiting the section selling specifically royal items.

Lance stopped to examine a painting of the late Queen, an expression of intrigue on his face, before he moved on to stop Hunk from purchasing a pair of pajamas that had supposedly belonged to a distant cousin of the Duke. But they both paused to examine a merchant selling a length of red fabric that was lined with black fur.

“I got this directly from the palace, could’ve belonged to the young prince!” The merchant said, noticing their interest.

The pair looked at each other as Lance shrugged and tossed a coin at the man. Red was always the prince’s color, so who’s to say it didn’t belong to him? Besides, it matched the coat Hunk was wearing so there was always that. Prize in hand, Lance led the way back to the two’s junk filled room.  As he flung back the curtain dramatically, he turned around to look at Hunk.

“Well? How’d it go today?” He asked, tone partially expectant but mostly excited.

“Well I uh got us the theatre!” Hunk responded, a proud grin on his face.

Lance held out a hand for a high five, which Hunk eagerly gave to him, before he turned around and said triumphantly, “Everything’s going perfectly for once! Now we just need the boy.” He did a little jump as they headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time, “Just think, Hunk, we’ll never need to forge anything again! No more getting by on stolen goods; we’ll have three tickets out of here, one for you, one for me, and one for the prince himself!”

Hunk returned his enthusiasm as the two started packing up their meager belongings.

“This, rumor, legend, myth of a prince,” Hunk said in an almost reverent voice, “He’s gonna help us fly right out of here!”

Lance turned around and gave him a big grin, arm full of items that he was in the middle of shoving in his bag.

“You and I, we’re gonna go down in history! Once we find a boy to play the part, we’ll just teach him what to say,” He reached into a secret compartment and brings out the dagger, his own trinket from the palace and their irrefutable proof that their actor is the real prince, “dress him up and take him to see the stars!” He stretched his arm out and Hunk picks up from where he trailed off.

“Just imagine the reward his old father’s gonna pay!”

Depositing the dagger carefully in his bag and closing it securely, Lance turned back to Hunk and put an arm around his shoulder, “Who else could pull it off, except you and me, buddy?”

Hunk grabbed his own bag and said merrily, “We’ll be rich!”

“And we’ll be out!” Lance responded with as much cheer. “You ready to give this place something else to gossip about?”

The two laughed as they headed out, not bothering to close the curtain behind them. The street was crowded as it could but the two payed it no mind; instead they headed straight for a trolley that would take them to their new theatre, to the new chapter of their lives.

After they jumped on, Lance turned to Hunk and with barely restrained excitement said, “Let’s go start the biggest con in history.”

If only it were as easy as the two had dreamed. The two had a long day of auditions ahead of them and they were all going to be rough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: everyone's favorite royal pain in the ass enters the scene. Also coming soon: a longer chapter


	3. A Nameless No Account

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of sass, lots of frustration, and much more of Coran than Lance or Hunk ever wanted to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise heckers, this fic ain't dead yet

Departures from the orphanage had never been big deals. Children were quietly shuffled off to new parents and those unfortunate enough to become legal adults were tossed out overnight before they could ever figure out what they were supposed to do. But Keith was different. Keith had been there for ten years, he had seen so many of the kids leave and grow up that he couldn’t leave without a proper goodbye or else “Commander” Iverson would have a hoard of angry children pestering him. The children of the orphanage were very fond of Keith; he had always comforted them in his own way like an awkward but still loving older brother. So it was with great bitterness that Iverson gave Keith his job assignment directly outside the orphanage, with children crying tearfully and screaming farewells from the windows.

“Now, I got you a job at a weapons factory. You’ll be making a variety of prestigious weapons for clients all over the galaxy, so I expect you to refrain from being a disappointment for once. Now, you need to go down the path that leads out of the orphanage and take a left-Keith! Are you listening to me?”

Keith turned his head to look at Iverson, hand still held out in a frozen wave that he had been in the middle of.

“Yes sir, Commander Iverson, sir.” Keith said with a tone as dry as the desert.

“You’ve been one walking discipline issue since you came here. First it was your appearance,” Keith interrupts with a sharp hey but Iverson gave him a quick glare and went back to talking, “Then your constant disobeying of orders! I’ve dealt with my share of ungrateful little brats, but you’ve taken the cake! I’ve given you food, clothes, even-“

“Even put a roof over my head.” Keith finished, rolling his eyes as he ran a hair through his mullet.

Iverson whipped around and grabbed Keith by his scarf. “Now isn’t that convenient. You can’t remember any of your past, forcing me to take in an alien abomination like you, and yet your memory’s perfect on every other account.”

Keith picked at his gloves with slight interest, “Well, sir,” he said, “That is how amnesia works. You don’t tend to remember what happened before, but after’s typically fair game.”

“Fair game huh?” Iverson spat out, before dragging Keith by his scarf towards the gate. “News for you kid. Life’s not fair. There’s no fantasy family waiting to be “together in the stars”. And even if there was, what would they want with you? You aren’t all Galra and you sure aren’t all human so the only thing you can do,” he flung open the gate and threw Keith on his face into the snow, “is take your place in the universe and be grateful about it!”

He left Keith struggling to get all the snow and dirt out of his mouth as he locked the orphanage gate behind him, yelling at the children over the lost heat from all the open doors and windows. Keith staggered up and left the only home he’d known for the past ten years, shaking snow from his personnel as he did so. Between the deep snow that he was stuck trudging through and Iverson being at his worst for the last time, Keith was in a rotten mood by the time he reached the crossroad.

“Be grateful,” he spat, mocking Iverson’s tone. He turned back to the general direction of the orphanage and yelled, “The only thing I’m grateful for is getting away from you!”  
He glanced at the crossroads, seeing his two paths in life literally laid out for him.

“So, to the left are the weapons factories.” He turned his head and jogged over to the right side, “But the right…now that’s a different story. I know what’s gonna happen to me if I go to the left; I’ll be a penniless orphan who loses a hand before I’m in my thirties. I’ve got no money so the right’s more questionable, but…” He trails off, grabbing hold of his necklace absent mindedly. “Wherever I got this, whoever gave this to me, they must have loved me. The city’s my only way off planet-“ He cuts himself off with a laugh, “Me, go to the stars?! It’s the only real choice I have but still.”

“Jeez, just send me a sign or something!” He yelled up at the sky. He groaned after not hearing or seeing anything before plopping himself on the ground. As he lowered his hat over his face to protect it from the sun and snow, he heard an odd beeping sound. Shoving the hat back on his head, he started looking around with curiosity. He didn’t see anything, but the beeping was so close that it was near impossible to have not seen it by now. All of a sudden, something collided with his back. After recovering from the near tumble he took, he turned and saw a floating triangular object beeping happily. Glaring at in frustration, he huffed and crossed his arms when he realized that yes, it was a sign.

“Great, my sign from above or below or wherever is a jerk of a robot.” He grumbled. The robot beeped happily again as it bumped into him again, much gentler this time. It then started bobbing down the right side of the path. Once it was about ten feet down the path, it turned and beeped at Keith.

Keith stared at it for a second, not believing that he was really going to follow a strange robot. He started following it regardless, muttering a quiet, “I can take a hint,” under his breath.

His first steps were unsteady and slow, he still wasn’t sure that this was what he should be doing. But looking back and seeing where he came from and nowhere that he could truly go, he knew that this was the right choice. He tried to pick up the pace with his new found determination only to find that the snow completely enveloped. So he settled for just not looking back instead. As he looked at the snow covered plant life and how endless the path he was on appeared, he allowed himself to build up the hope that had been slowly dying for the past ten years. Even though the chances of finding his family in the city were slim, after all his necklace said “together in the stars” and not “together in the city”, he might be able to somehow earn enough money to leave the planet and search for them. It would no doubt take a while, but this was the biggest chance he had ever had and would ever have. This feeling of cautious optimism had been a constant in Keith’s short life, but he was willing to bet that this was the time when he wouldn’t be proven wrong. He lightly shoved the robot that was bobbing alongside him, laughing when it gave an offended sounding beep and tried to push him in return. Catching a glimpse of the massive lit-up city in the far distance, Keith felt a sudden overwhelming sense of wonder and amazement. Wiping away the tears that had started to form, he whispered a quiet, “I’m on my way, I’ll be with you soon” and continued walking.

Unfortunately, his escape was not going to be as easy as he wanted. The city was a mess of people and traffic, making it near impossible for him to navigate. When he was finally able to get the attention of someone to direct him to where he could purchase tickets, the doors were all without fail slammed in his face. Originally it was due to his obvious lack of money. However, after the sixth time he’d been kicked out of a ticket booth, he learned that a visa had to be paid for and acquired before he could even think of doing anything. Keith smacked his head against a rotten wooden column, groaning in frustration.

Unbeknownst to him, a young Altean girl had been watching the teen groan and rub his head in pain with bemusement before deciding to head over in Keith’s general direction. Keith didn’t actually notice her approach until he felt fingers go dangerously near his pockets. Not bothering to turn around before smacking the sloppy pickpocket’s hands away harshly, Keith expected that to be the end of it. But he heard a much older voice than he was expecting only a moment later.

“Hey Galra boy, go find Lance if you want papers to get out. He’s the guy for this kinda thing. Go to the old abandoned palace if you wanna find him” Keith blinked in bewilderment, was his failed pickpocketer giving him legitimate advice? He turned around to confront the thief only to find empty space. He looked around in puzzlement before hearing the sound of boxes tumbling not too far away, followed by a stream of angry curses directed at the one who knocked the boxes over. Lance, huh? He thought to himself. Well what the heck. It’s not like he had any other leads to take, and this “Lance” had to be good if he came at the recommendation of an unskilled thief. But then Keith let out a deep sigh, because of course the thief didn’t tell him where this “palace” was.

Elsewhere, in the theatre that Hunk had procured, two conmen were experiencing let downs of their own. Dozens of names were crossed out from a long list of failed royal wannabes that had come through. Lance groaned and buried his face in his hands, vainly trying to wipe his desire to fall asleep during the remainder of their auditions from his face. After ten seconds of his pity party, he felt Hunk gently shake him.

“Hey, hey. This next one might not be so bad! He has acting credentials and a lot of them! Focus just a bit longer; I think this one might be our Prince.” Hunk said with a grin filled with absolute confidence.

Even when their next candidate walked on stage in thick furs, Hunk kept his grin up. As he walked onto the stage, Lance perked up in interest, this man carried himself with the confidence of a prince, and while he was clearly Altean with the brightly colored hair to match, he was certainly not human so their luck was turning around after all. Of course that was all dashed when the furs were flung off, revealing one of the skimpiest outfit Lance had seen in all his years on the street.

The mustached man stared at them with eyes that made Lance feel distinctly uncomfortable before practically moaning out in a voice that was very not suited for moaning, “Daddy it’s me, Keith.” He made a sweeping gesture of his body, angling his pelvis towards the two conmen.

Hunk let out an uncomfortable laugh of disbelief while Lance stared in stunned silence. Even if the giggly prince from all those years ago had chosen to go into the same profession as that man, he didn’t think he would develop a daddy kink, and especially not express it to his grieving father. He waved the man to the side, not even bothering to say anything as he walked off with a huff. Lance would never admit it, but he gave a side long glance to their amusing imposter’s rear as he left, admiring what the real prince never would’ve had. He was placing his bets now, if Prince Keith had lived long enough to go through puberty he would have the most unattractive ass ever. After all, it wouldn’t be fair for him to have absolutely perfect genetics. Letting out a huff of frustration, Lance threw himself away from the desk the two had been seated at.

“I think that’s enough for one day, whaddya say buddy?”

Hunk attempted to nod wearily from where his head was resting on the desk. As the two exited their cheap theatre, they lamented on everything they lost with this mess.

“There went most of our money. It’s gone now, out the window. Never to be seen again.” Hunk sighed dramatically.

“Hey, hey!” Lance cried, moving in front of Hunk to stop him in his tracks. “It’ll be okay, man. We’ll find our prince in no time; y’know he’s probably right under our noses as we speak!”

Little did the con artist know just how true his words were. As he was giving his reassurances to Hunk, Keith was desperately trying to get directions just a few feet away.

“Excuse me, sir? Can I please-sir? Sir please, can you just listen for a second?”

The man looked at Keith with a sneer, “don’t like talking to alien freaks.” He started to walk away, brushing Keith’s shoulder harshly as he left.

Keith rubbed his shoulder with a slight frown, he still had no idea where the palace was or even what Lance looked like. After the pain started to subside, he lifted his head only to see the largest and most elegant building he had ever seen. For reasons that escaped Keith, the whole thing was boarded up with rotten wood. It certainly looked like an abandoned palace…probably. Regardless, it was his best chance; Keith rationalized as he headed towards the palace. Or at least, he started to. For whatever reason, there were two young men standing in the middle of the street. Neither Keith nor the two men noticed one another, leading to Keith’s collision with one man; who ended up knocking himself and his companion to the ground. Keith blinked in pure surprise and confusion, gawking for a moment before reaching a hand out to help one of them up. However, the little robot that Keith had honestly forgotten was still following him made its opinion on the matter known. It used all of its strength to push Keith towards the palace, beeping rapidly and rather loudly.

“Okay, okay. I’m going, alright? Just keep it down.”

Lance slowly got up, rubbing his rear end in pain before offering a hand to help Hunk up. Whoever the jerk was who knocked them over was long gone. Lance groaned in dramatic agony, of course something like this would happen today. Of course it would. When the two had both sufficiently licked their wounds and regained their bearings, they exchanged a look of mutual suffering and headed towards their temporary safe space, the old palace.

**Author's Note:**

> So I really love Anastasia (even with its' flaws) and I also really love Voltron...and they actually seemed to mesh pretty well??? At least for now anyway. I'm probably going to update once for every two updates with JAETR, but that may change! I'll try to update as soon as I can, so let me know what you think!


End file.
